Community psychology: should there be a European perspective?

✍ Scribed by Donata Francescato; Manuela Tomai

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2001
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 79 KB
• Volume: 11
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1052-9284
• DOI: 10.1002/casp.638

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

In this era of globalisation community psychologists have to examine how globalisation patterns interact with local cultural norms, to find tools to promote a sense of community that fits a particular context. We cannot therefore acritically adopt for many European contexts, community psychology concepts and intervention strategies geared to USA values. The paper argues for the need to develop a European perspective in Community Psychology, built more on the European tradition of political concern for promoting social capital, besides an individual's freedom and autonomy. The paper attempts to identity some of the main differences that have emerged in the last decades between USA and European approaches to community psychology. It also describes two empowering tools, which integrate traditional and post modern views of science: community profiling and multidimensional organisational analysis, that have been used by European community psychologists to rebuild social capital in organisations and local communities. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.